Sunday, October 31, 2010

Round-Up: October 31

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email. I'm Twittering again now at Aesopus and AesopusEnglish.

HODIE: ante diem tertium Kalendas Novembres (and yes, you can have your own Roman Google Calendar).

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is LIGO - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Astra inclinant, non obligant, "The stars incline us, they do not bind us."

MILLE FABULAE: New materials at the blog include new illustrated fables and fables with other kinds of images too. This is also where you can download your free PDF copy of the Mille Fabulae et Una book.

FABULAE FACILES: The new easy-to-read fable is Lepus et Vulpes apud Iovem, a fable advising each of us to be satisfied with our own good qualities.

ENGLISH AESOP: Today's English fables are from Sir Roger L'Estrange, Wright's verse translation of La Fontaine and the limericks for Crane's Baby's Own Aesop.

TODAY'S MOTTOES & PROVERBS: Widgets available at SchoolhouseWidgets.com.

3-Word Mottoes: Today's 3-word motto is In horam vivo (English: I live for the moment).

3-Word Proverbs: Today's 3-word proverb is Concordia res crescunt (English: With likemindedness, businesses prosper - a saying which does not bode well for next week's elections, which seem to be completely lacking in cross-party concordia).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb with rhyme is: Omnia transibunt! Sic ibimus, ibitis, ibunt (English: All things will pass away! So we will go, you will go, they will go).

Vulgate Verse: Today's verse is Ignis numquam dicit: sufficit (Proverbs 30:16). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Elizabethan Proverb Commentary: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Taverner: Nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit: No man in the world is wise at al houres. It is only belonging to God and properly due unto him never to commit follie. There is, I say, no man, but otherwiles doteth, but is deceived, but plaieth the foole, though he seme never so wise. Whan I say man, I except not the woman.

Today's Poem: Today's poem is from Cato's Distichs, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com:
Ereptis opibus noli maerere dolendo,
Sed gaude potius, tibi si contingat habere.
English: "When your wealth has been snatched away, don't grief with the pain of it but rather rejoice in whatever you happen to have." Good advice indeed - especially in light of the proverb above about omnia transibunt...!

Today's image is about the biting dog, 387. Canis Mordax. Cani, saepius homines mordenti, illigavit dominus nolam, scilicet ut sibi quisque caveret. Canis, ratus virtuti suae tributum hoc decus esse, populares omnes despicit. Accedit tandem ad hunc canem aliquis, iam aetate et auctoritate gravis, monens eum ne erret. “Nam ista nola,” inquit, “data est tibi in dedecus, non in decus.” (source) You can see the first part of the story to the left where the dog bits the man, and then the second part of the story on the right, where the dog is boasting about his bell.

Canis Mordax  - Osius